New Zealand Birthday

First let me say birthdays in New Zealand are awesome because you get to celebrate for 2 full days with the time change!

We found this written in the sand at the beach!

I was so blessed this year by all the love on my birthday! While I was not able to be with my family and friends from back in the states I was able to be with my new family and friends here and felt the love from the states!

Tuesday night the CC bible college had me over for dinner and some games. We had a really great time hanging out and just fellowshipping with each other! I was so blessed by them and so encouraged in what I am doing here! I love that the Lord has called me to New Zealand and I was so blessed to be reassured this is exactly the place the Lord wants me right now!

Wednesday was my actual birthday New Zealand time and I planned to spend the day with my New Zealand family. I woke up to a bit of rain and was reminded that the Lord always fulfills His promises. (We have been praying for rain for weeks) I was greeted downstairs by presents and pancakes!!

After breakfast we decided we would head out to the beach and hike to the Mermaid pools. It was such a beautiful day and perfect to spend outside. We hiked to the Mermaid pools and took in the beauty of all the Lord has created for us to enjoy. After some swimming and fun we went to Burger King for lunch. You know it’s a special day if you get to go out to eat and especially if you go to burger king instead of Mc Donald’s!! It was kind of fun to have a little taste of America for my birthday!

Mermaid pools

 

My friend Amy joined us for dinner of Sausages and Chips (very Kiwi) and Amanda made a delicious Carrot Cake with Lemon frosting. I was so blessed to spend my birthday with these wonderful people!

We bought corn at the farmers market and they all had worms in them! Shhh... don't tell Zander we just cut the worm part off the corn :)

 

I even received two packages! One birthday present from my mom and the other present from my grandparents!! I felt so loved!

gift from mom!

 

Friday, my friend Ellen came over for dinner with a fabulous cake she had made for me! Ellen is quite the cake maker so a few months ago I told her I wanted a Tardis cake! She thought that was a great idea as she has always wanted to attempt one! She did a great job on it and it totally made my day!!!

 

A few months ago Amanda promised me we would make Koeksisters for my birthday! So Saturday we spent a few hours making them! Koeksisters are a South African sweet and they are so good! They are made by taking dough and frying it in oil and then soaking it in syrup and letting them cool down! We had a great time making them and even more fun eating them! Seriously these are so good and I can't wait to make them for my family back in the states!

That's right I am an American in New Zealand successfully making South African food!!

Anri said if I make them in the states any South African man would marry me on the spot!

 

All in all my birthday was great and I feel so blessed to have gotten to share it with everyone here!!

 

Limestone Island, CCBI, Waitangi

It has been amazing to see this week how the Lord blesses me and gives me so much love here! I love seeing the Lord guide me and equip me. In case you don’t already know I am a planner. I like to have everything planned way ahead of time and know what is going to happen next. Of course the Lord doesn’t always show us way ahead of time what is going to happen. For me the Lord likes to make me wait and learn patience. Since coming to New Zealand the thing the Lord keeps telling me is to rest in Him and allow Him to worry about tomorrow. That is really hard for me to do but I am trying to learn it. I have no idea what the Lord is going to do tomorrow but I look forward to seeing it! 6 months ago when I hoped on that plane to come here I had no idea what to expect and I still have no idea what the next 6 months will bring.

Last week we went with the home school group over to Limestone Island. We had a great time walking all over the island and learning about the history and the purpose of the island. For more about our limestone island trip and more pictures go here limestone island.

 

 

 

This week we also hosted the Calvary Chapel Bible College outreach team in Whangarei! I loved having them come up here and get to see our lovely city and help us paint! They arrived on Friday just after we finished basketball and stayed through Thursday morning. They helped us paint one of the buildings that we use for church. It was a tough job but we are so thankful to have had their help and to have their fellowship up here!

 

For me it was such a blessing to have fellowship with people around my age and that love the Lord. They are all such great people and it was awesome to have them here. Through them being here I felt more confirmation that I am where the Lord wants me to be and I am not supposed to be down in Rotorua or anywhere else in New Zealand.

Saturday after painting I traveled with them up to Waitangi and Russell. I was excited to see more of New Zealand history and to travel around the north with them.

 Maori Cultural show at Waitangi

Waitangi flagpole... I guess the flagpole used to be wood and was chopped down 3 or so times :)

Now it's steel

Giant War Waka

all of us driving the long trip to Waitangi and Russell

Ferry to Russell

Oldest working petrol station in New Zealand

Delicious fish n chips

Russell beach

 

Monday afternoon we went to the beach at Patau North. It was a beautiful day and the water was perfect! The boys jumped off the bridge (I would have but I was already dry and didn’t want to sit in the car for 30 min soaking wet). One of the times Jared jumped off he apparently hit his head and got a concussion. They told me he was really weird in the car on the way back to the house and couldn’t remember much.

Jared doing a flip off the bridge

Tuesday night they made me dinner and we played games to celebrate my birthday! I will post later about my New Zealand birthday!!

Thank you everyone who is praying for me and the work that is happening in New Zealand! It is much appreciated and I am so thankful for every one of you!